Device for handling invalids.



No. 669,450. Patented Mar. 5, ml.

0. STEPHENS. DEVICE FOR HANDLING INVALIDS.

(Application filed Jan. 1900.)

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No. 669,450; Patented Mar. 5, I90l.

c. STEPHENS. DEVICE FUR'HANDLING INVALIDS.

(Application fllegi Jan. 19, 1900.

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I I Cornelius Step/lei;

/] TTdRA/f Y UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

CORNELIUS STEPHENS, OF RENO, MICHIGAN.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING INVALIDS.

SEEGZFEGATIQN forming part of Letters'iatent No. 669,450, dated March 5,1901.

Application filed January 19, 1900. Serial No. 2,067. (No model.)

I aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatLCoRNELIUs STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reno, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for HandlingInvalids, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in appliances for handling invalidsfor the purpose of rearranging the bed, changing their position, &c.;and its object is to provide a means whereby a delicate patient or onesubject to great pain upon being moved may be the patient in asittingposture.

handled without great discomfort. Iattain this object by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of my device with a patient slightly raised from the bed. Fig.2 is the same with the bed removed and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of thedevice with the blocks, &c., removed. Fig. 4 is a front and a side viewof the sheave with which the patient is raised and lowered. Fig. 5 is anend elevation of the plates and their bail; and Fig. 6 shows the upperends of the bail with a pin inserted to show one means of fastening themtogether, so that the plates cannot spread under the weight of thepatient. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lower side of thesupporting-plates, showing the position of the bails and of the clasp;and Fig. Sis an elevation of the actuating-pulleys, cut awayto show theapplication of the retaining-pin.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the construction of my device I make use of a supporting bar or beamA, that is mounted upon legs B of a proper length to support the beamsome distance above the bed. Near the longitudinal center of this beam Iplace a hanger C, in which I place a sheave 0, designed to be made torevolve by means of the crank D, which is mounted upon the shaft thatsupports the wheels of the sheave in the usual manner, and at each sideof this hanger I place a block and tackle F or other suitable means forraising and lowering the patient.

For the support of the patient I construct two pairs of plates G, havingbails G, which are connected at the top by a rod G, upon which they arepivoted, so that they may be made to recede from or approach each otherfor the purpose of spreading the plates apart, as indicated by thedotted lines in Fig. 5, for the purpose of sliding the plates under thepatient from each side, and thus avert the necessity of raising,turning, or handling the patient by hand. For this purpose the platesare spread as per the dotted line-i in Fig. 5 and each carefully slidunder the patient from the side until the inner edges meet. The turningof the sheave C will operate the blocks F and gradually raise thepatient with no exertion whatever on the part of the patient, so thatthe bed may be changed or rearranged withoutinconveniencing the patientin the least.

Ordinarily there is no possible danger of the plates spreading, so thatthe patient might drop through between them; butfor the purpose ofwhollyaverting this danger the plates maybe locked together either bymeans of pins 9 through the bails, or bya hook or hasp g below theplates, or by any other available means, and to avert the danger of theplates spreading longitudinally I place a hooked rod J between them, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The sheave C may be locked to place to support the patient in thedesired position by means of the usual pawl E, and if itis desired toarrange the device so that one set of plates may be operated while theother set is in position this may be accomplished by the use of twodistinct sheaves and cranks, as in Fig. 3, in which case each sheave maybe made to act independent of the other, or it may be accomplished withone crank by making the sheaves to act independently upon one shaft, onewheel being securely attached to the shaft and the other wheel left sothat the shaft may turn freely therein without turning the wheel andprovide for locking them to revolve together by inserting a pin 0through the loose wheel and into the one that is secured to the shaft.In this connection it will be noted that the long rod G is particularlyavailable, as with it the hooks on the blocks may be placed in theproper position to allow the patient to be placed in any position fromthe sitting posture (shown in Fig. 2) to lying at length, as shown inFig. 1.

The suspended shelf I, which may be su pported from the plates G bycords, wires, or other suitable device, substantially as shown in'Fig.2, is a great convenience for receiving and holding articles-as napkins,comb and brush, or any other article or instrument desired or needed foruse about the patient.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the patient raised a little from the bed H forthe purpose of showing the convenience of the device for the purposesfor which it is designed.

The plates and bails may be used as a stretcher by disconnecting themfrom the support and passing a carrying-pole through the rings G, asindicated in section in Fig. 5 at J, which acts in this case in lieu ofthe support A and the blocks and tackles.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a device for handlinginvalids, a supporting-fram e, a two-wheelsheave supported at the longitudinal center of said frame, a lockingdevice connected with the wheels of said sheave, a crank connected tothe wheels of said sheave, two sets of longitndinally-dividedsupporting-plates, a pair of pivoted hinges at each end of each pair ofplates, a rod connecting the hinges of each pair of plates, blocks andtackles attached to the supporting-frame and the rods on the plates, anda cord run in each set of blocks and around the sheave-wheels,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device for handling invalids, asupporting-frame, a two-Wheelsheave supported thereon, a locking-pin connecting the wheels of saidsheave, a crank connected to actuate said sheave-wheels singly ortogether by the adjustment of the pin, two pairs oflongitudinally-divided supporting-plates, a pair of pivoted bails ateach end of each pair of plates, a rod connecting said bails over eachpair of plates, a link connecting the adjacent ends of the two pairs ofplates, a swinging shelf below the plates, tackle-blocks secured to thesupporting-frame and the rods, and a cord run through the blocks and thesheave, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, January 15, L900.

CORNELIUS STEPHENS. In presence of- ITHIEL J. OILLEY, JAMES B. GRADY.

